The Harvard Business Review recently published an article titled, “We Won’t Get Value-Based Health Care Until We Agree on What ‘Value’ Means.” The title begs a simple question, “Why do we have to agree?” Why can’t patients and the employers and health plans that foot much of their health care bills make individual and situational...Read more

I recently participated in the Digital Health @ Harvard series, which features speakers from Harvard as well as other collaborators and colleagues. The goal is to bring together those that work in the intersection between health and technology, a world the series has coined the “digital health ecosystem.” Discussion topics highlight new developments and identify opportunities...Read more

The numbers are in for 2018 health insurance exchange (HIX) enrollment. According to CMS, enrollment fell 3.7% to just under 11.8 million.  However, that total hides a big difference between the federal exchange and the state-operated exchanges.   HIX 2017 Enrollment 2018 Enrollment Change Federal Exchange/Healthcare.gov (34 states) 8,751,102 8,289,073 -5.3% State-run Exchanges (16 states...Read more

This week’s HCCI report again underscores the major driver of health costs in the US: provider prices. The late, great Uwe Reinhardt was right when he said “It’s the Prices, Stupid”. Here in Massachusetts, some of the most detailed work has been done on the topic, and it’s the same story. Back in 2010, the MA...Read more

In a year abuzz with healthcare news, here’s APCD Journal’s top healthcare stories of 2017. Give them a read and tell us on Twitter @APCDJournal what you think will be the top news of 2018. Low-Cost, High-Volume Health Services Contribute the Most to Unnecessary Health Spending- Health Affairs October 2017 According to an analysis of...Read more

Colorado recently released its statewide health IT roadmap. The plan aligns with national efforts, leverages Colorado’s existing data and health IT infrastructure and comes with a snappy slogan: “Best Care, Best Health, Best Value.” Colorado’s plan details initiatives that support care coordination, while also engaging with and empowering consumers through data governance and integration. Best...Read more